Meeting going on today will affect future of roads in Carbon

Norma and Jerrold Dalton, along with Curt Rich, show county land manager Rex Sacco some photos of areas they traveled in the eastern part of the county many years ago. Officials are asking for people to attend the meeting today and give statements as well as provide photos or other evidence of roads traveled on federal land prior to 1976.

A meeting that is going on right now (until 8 pm Thursday evening) is important to anyone who wants to protect right of ways in the back country of Carbon County.

Carbon County is requesting assistance from anyone who has knowledge of pre-1976 travel on public roads crossing federal land, especially those who are willing to testify to help maintain the public roads system in the county. Anyone with knowledge of pre-1976 travel and use of public roads on federal land is welcome to attend a meeting at the Carbon County Events Center Room #130, (the older wing of the Events Center) today between 2:00 and 8:00 P.M.

The Carbon County Commission together with the State of Utah are pursuing legal action in federal court to quiet title to the pre-1976 public roads crossing federal land in Carbon County. Today's meeting will serve to better allow our legal counsel to identify potential witnesses for later interviews and testimony supporting the historical uses of these roads. If you have any evidence such as pictures, documents, etc., that will assist them in securing testimony and evidence of the historic uses of public roads on federal land, we welcome your attendance.

Pre-1976 public highways are commonly referred to as RS 2477 rights-of-way. RS 2477 is contained in the July 26, 1866, Mining Law, Section 8, and states: "The right of way for the construction of highways over public lands, not reserved for public uses, is hereby granted." RS 2477 was repealed on October 21, 1976, in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). However, all roads accepted by public use prior to FLPMA were grandfathered as local and state roads with full local authority. Please help Carbon County locate all of the witnesses and evidence possible to support the effort to prove the public's title to these roads.